


Tanu Dalis: The City Beneath the Waves

by ani_the_unicorn



Series: Hidden Cities [1]
Category: Hidden Cities - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: 1800, 1800s London, 1862, 19th Century, Alternate History, Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - 19th Century, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Canon Era, Canon Het Relationship, F/F, F/M, London, M/M, Multi, POV Third Person Omniscient, Steampunk, mentions of Sherlock Holmes - Freeform, steam power, steam powered city
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-07
Updated: 2014-08-07
Packaged: 2018-02-12 06:22:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2098866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ani_the_unicorn/pseuds/ani_the_unicorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following her father's legacy, Almira Grenhold searches for an ancient civilization lost to time and struggles to survive with her companions in the dangerous Mors jungle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tanu Dalis: The City Beneath the Waves

    Almira Grenhold, history professor and archaeologist, was running out of time. 

    A glance at her bronze-and-crystal watch - a gift from her fiancé - told her all she needed to know. In precisely seven minutes and thirty-nine seconds, the head of the university board - a man named Harold B. Warney - would be arriving. This wasn't good. If she hadn't uncovered anything intriguing by the time he arrived at the dig site, her program funding would be cut and she would be out of a job.

    The late morning sun scorched the back of her neck, prompting Mira to pull her hat down lower. She _had_ to find something. Anything. Even if it wasn't what she was searching for; even if it had nothing to do with the lost island-city of Tanu Dalis. Even if it was a Gyptian statuette from under a thousand years ago.  
  
    _Six minutes and fifteen seconds._  
  
    A warm, desert breeze blew over the dunes where the dig was taking place, bringing with it the smell of dust, horse shit, and sweat. Mira's pale blue eyes swept over the men that were working under her supervision, looking for any sign of a discovery. There was none.  
  
    _Four minutes and twenty-one seconds._  
  
    Almira watched and waited. Nothing. Her shoulders slumped. Defeat was a bitter reward, even more so when your employer was a man who thought women should not hold working positions, let alone teaching at a prestigious university.  The woman muttered to herself as she stood. _Blasted high-and-mighty pompous bastard. He_ knew _that this was my dream - my father's dream_. _Does he really think that doing this will honor his memory?_  
     _One minute and nine seconds_.  
  
    Brushing the sand of her trousers, the professor walked past the men she had worked with for the last six weeks and into the tent, where water and shade waited. Mira sank into the nearest chair and closed her eyes. Shade was a thing most people took for granted back in London. It was here, in Egypt, that Almira truly appreciated the blessed relief that it brought. A young man cleared his throat outside her tent.  
  
    "Ahem. Excuse me, Professor, but you have visitors." Almira stood.  
  
    "Thank you, Hasim." She strode forth and pulled back the canvas sheet that protected her from the wind. A fake smile plastered itself on her face. "Ah, Mr. Warney, how good to see you. Come in. Can I offer you any refreshment? I'm afraid I only have water at the moment."

    Mr. Harold B. Warney stepped into Almira's tent. A thin sheen of sweat glistened on his brow, and Mira couldn't help but inwardly smirk at the man's discomfort.  
  
    "Ah. Yes, that would be much appreciated, Miss Grenhold." As Mira poured a glass of water for the man, he slumped into the very chair she had been sitting in just moments before. His hands fluttered around his kerchief, and he debated about following the rules of propriety and keeping himself entirely covered, or seeing to his own needs and removing the article of clothing. Propriety won out, and he folded his hands neatly over his protruding belly.  
  
    "Miss Grenhold, I trust you've been having a successful dig?" Warney gratefully accepted the water Almira offered him. The red-headed woman perched on the edge of her cot, unsure as to how to respond. Was he being sarcastic or not? She went with the former, and tried to gather what few graces the gods had given her in order to respond.  
  
    "Mr. Warney, you and I both know why you're here, so enough with the small talk." Almira took a deep breath, trying to calm he wildly pounding heart. Warney frowned and opened his mouth to reply, but she held up a hand, signaling that she was not finished.


End file.
